Apparatus for handling concrete blocks



Jan- 8, 1952 c. c. wooLEY APPARATUS FOR HANDLING CONCRETE BLOCKS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 18, 1948 INI/,ENTOR M ecv/ oa/ej/ Armen/5m BY WI Jan. 8, 1952 Filed June 18, 1948 c. c. wooLr-:Y

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING CONCRETE BLOCKS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

620// 6T MU/ej/ Jan. 8, 1952 c. c. wooLEY APPARATUS FR HANDLING CONCRETE BLOCKS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 18, 1948 Patented Jan. 8, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,581,563 APPARATUS FortHANDLING CONCRETE BLocKs Cecil HC, Wooley, Cottage Grove, Oreg. applicstiaimune 1s, 194s, serial No. 33,854

4 Claims.

1 This invention relates to an apparatus for handling concrete blocks. An object of the invention is the provision oi an apparatus for handling concrete blocks as they come freshly molded from the 'block-mold'- ing machine and for carrying said blocks to the usual pallet-carrier when said blocks are transferred toa curing chamber, thereby eliminating manual handling. The various functions yof the 'apparatus `being caused to be `carried out automatically by 'the weight -of the block and by compensating weights coordinated with operai.;v ing elements of the apparatus, initial `manual adjustments only being required to start the apparatus for the delivery ofvja concrete block from the molding machine to the pallet-carrier. A further object of the linvention is the pro `vision oi an 'apparatus for delivering freshly molded concrete blocks to the usual pallet-carrier for transfer to a curing chamber, a radially swinging arm having `means thereon for receiving and carrying a concrete block from the molding machine to the pallet-carrier said arm being supported 'by a track `which vhas 4an inclined, portion for lowering the arm to the pallet-carrier while a weight counter-balances the arm during tion view -of the accompanying drawings.

Nevertheless, 1it `is to be y.understood that the invention .is not confined to the disclosure, being `susceptible gof :such changes and modifica tion which shall define no material departure from the salient features of the invention as ex pressed in the appended claims.

.In the drawings:

`liigure 2l isv a side view 'in yelevation :o'f .-my apparatus fol-conveying green 'concrete blocks from a molding machine .to :the usual pallet board mounted Fon Ta carriage, the apparatus fbeing 'supported by Ja `metal frame-work IIAon ria floor fof :a

building,

2 showing an end view 'of a grapple or block-supporting device of the apparatus,

Figure 4 is a plan view of adrum and 'a `shield for controlling the operation of a pawl which is adapted to engage a slot of a series of the drum, v Figure 5` is a side View of a lever `attached to a shaft for supporting a pairof pawls,

Figure 6 is aplan View of the: `lever taken along 5-6 of Figure 5, A .Figure 7 is a side View, in elevation of `a modifled form of the apparatus :supported by the floor of a building,

.Figure 8 is a horizontal section through the lower end of the 'shaft taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 7 showing the bearing for said shaft, and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary side view of a pawl operating leve;` partly in section.

Referring more particularly to Figures 1 to 6 inclusive, I0 designates a floor of a building from which rises a meta-l frame workand afmachine I I for molding concrete blocks. In this machine the usual stripper 4bars I2 are `employed forl `elevating a pallet f-I 3 upon which issupported the green concrete block I4.

The framework .includes a .iloor plate I5, a top plate I6 and vertical `angle iron 'bars `I'I and |78. rlhe bars :I8 have voff-#set portions I9 and I2E) for a purpose which will be, explained presently. A vertically disposed shaft 2l is mounted in ball bearings 22 `carried by the top plate I6 and ball bearings 2'3 secured to `the bottom plate I5.

A channel shaped bar 25 is Aconnected to the shaft 2| `by parallel arms `2I and 27. The arm 26 has one end Y'connected by a pivot pin `2t to the upper `end of the bar "25 'while the other 'end of said bar .is connected by a pivot pin 29 to the upper `end of the shaft, The arm 27 vhas Vone end connected to the lower :end of bar '25 by a pivot `pin 30 while the ot-her end of "said arm is connected to the lower 4end ofthe lshaft 2| by a pivot pin V3l. All of the pins are :mounted in ball bearings to reduce friction. With this mounting, the barl 25 will always move upward- 1y .0r downwardly in parallel relation with the shaft 2.1. The bar .2'5, the lshaft 2| and arms 26 and [I 'form 1a parallelogram a A :lifting 'arm 35 extends from aibas'e36 bolted to the upper front face `of the bar 25, and is disposed radially relative to vfthe shaft y-2I. A stop 3l is vsupported by fa vertical Vbar II 'of the frame and checks the oscillating movement of the farm directly over laichambr 380i the blockmaking machine II.

A grapple or block-carrying device 48 is mounted on the free end of the radial arm 35. A pair of spaced split sleeves 4| and 42 are clamped on the arm and held in place by keys 43. Axles 45 and 45a project in opposite directions in a horizontal plane from the respective collars 4| and 42. A depending bar 46 is pivot-ally supported on a pin 41 carried by one of the axles 45. A bar 48 depends from the other axle 45 and is pivotally supported by a pin 49. A transverse bar 58 connects the upper portions oi the parallel bars 46 and 48 while a block-supporting foot is secured to the lower ends of pairs of the parallel bars. Various types of feet may be substituted for the kind illustrated. A coil spring 52 is received by one of the axles 45 and has one end secured at 53 to the collar 4| while the other end 54 is attached to the bar 48 so that the spring will tend to swing the bars 48, 48 and the foot outwardly.

It will be noted from Figures 1 and 2 that the construction just described is in the form of a frame and is duplicated at the split sleeve 42 and since the constructions are substantially identical the same reference characters will be pin 41 so that'when one frame is swung outwardly the other frame will likewise be swung A cable 88 is wound on the drum 8| and has one end secured to a weight 89. The other end 98 of the cable is attached to the free end of a rod 9| bolted at its other end to the vertical bar 25. An angularly disposed rod 92 braces the rod 9| from said vertical bar. The end 98 of the cable is trained under a pulley 93 mounted on the top plate |6. The relative positions of the weight 89, the drum 8| and the pulley 93 are such that the cable will always tend to pull the arm 35 towards the stop 31. The weight oi the member 89 is equal to one-half the weight of theconcrete block I4.

outwardly. A handle 62 is secured to the cross I bar 58 connected between the depending bars 46 and 48 so rthat the frames may be manually operated.

The purpose of the split sleeves 4| and 42 in conjunction with openings 58 in the link 59 provides for an adjustment of the grapple to compensate for varying lengths of the concrete blocks.

The vertical bar of the parallelogram is provided at its lower end with a horizontal axle 65 upon which is mounted a wheel 66 riding upon a curved track |51 having an inclined portion 63. The wheel and track support the bar 25, the arm and the block carrier 48 during radial movements of said arm for a purpose which will be explained presently. The track 61 `is carried by spaced posts 69 mounted on the plate I5.

A lever 18 has a weight 1| mounted slidably thereon and held in an adjusted position by a set screw12. A fork 13 has its arms receiving the shaft 2| andsecured to the bar 26.` This weight is adjusted so that it will counterbalance the weight of the arm 35, the carrier 48 and the parallelogram. The oiset indicated by the angle irons |9 anad 28 supported by the angle irons |8 provides suiicient space for the movements of the weight vertically and radially as the arm 35 is oscillated.

A governor designated generally by the numeral 88 is mounted on the top plate I6 and includes a drum 8| secured to a shaft 82 mounted in bear-- ings in spaced brackets 83 carried by the plate |6. A large gear 84 is secured to the outer end of the shaft 8| and meshes with a smaller gear 85 keyed to a shaft 86 also mounted in bearings in the brackets 83. The shaft 88 drives the governor vanes 81. The ratio of the gears 34 and 85 is 10 to 1.

Thus, it will be seen that the energy expended by the governor fan 81 is the same when the carrier 48 is weighted by a block or when empty on its Areturn movement llfrom the lower inner end of the track 61.

Tracks 95 are mounted on the floor |8 at one side of the base plate I5. A carriage 95 is guided by wheels 91 having V-shaped grooves received by the V-'shaped tracks 95. A pallet board 98 on top of the carriage is adapted to receive the green concrete blocks I4 from the carrier 48. A cable |88 attached at one end to an eye bolt |8| on the inner end of the carriage 98v is trained over a 'pulley |82 mounted on a cross bar |83 associated with the rails 95. The other end of the cable is secured to a drum |84 which is rotatably mounted on the shaft '2| above the bearing 23. However, the drum is revolved by the shaft through a predetermined angle when said shaft is revolved by the oscillating arm 35 for a purr pose which will be described presently. A brake embraces a collar' |86 fixed to the drum |84 for restraining the drum so that the cable |88 will bemaintained taut at all times.

A shield ||0 has a flanged portion secured to the floor Aplate |5 at one side of the drum |84. The ange has arcuate slots ||2 receiving bolts I I3 screwed into the floor plate I5 so that the shield may be adjusted over and around a portion of the drum in a limited manner. The drum |84 has a series of eight circumferentia'lly arranged radial slots or indentations ||6 and a series of six circumferentially arranged radial slots or indentations |1 disposed nearer the center of the drum than the series of slots I6. ,The series of slots or indentations form a pair of concentric ratchets so that pawls |28 and |2| will seat in the respective slots |1 and ||6 and temporarily connect the drum to the shaft to provide a limited rotary motion of the drum and to retain the shaft and the block-carrier in an idle position midway between the pallet board and theblock-making machine during the molding of Vsucceeding blocks. y

A' rod |22 has its upper end connected to one end of a cable |23v which is trained on a pulley |24 carried by the bar 26. The cable is extended forwardly towards the block-making machine and is attached to a hand lever |25 pivoted at |28 on the outer end of the arm 35. The pawl-operating rod |22 is mounted slidably in a sleeve |21 rising integrally from the free end of a lever |28 securedat |29 to the shaft 2| above the drum I 84. v

The pawls |28 and |2| are'pivotally mounted on a pin |28u carried by thelever |28. The pawls as shown in Figure 9 are movable to a depending operative position or to an upright or inoperative position. One edge of the pawl is flat while the opposite edge 4|38 is curved and in engagement with a horizontal bar |3| secured to the lower end of rod |22. When the rod |22 and bar |3| are raised the pawlsl |28 or |21 will be raised suf- Ti'i iiioiiied friii in Figo-f is substantially the same as that shown in Figi fires' 1 tu e iiieiusj "e eiieiiieiefere iiiiiy insee j j d which a departure from in@ sisi io m disclosed. 'riieeirier qu, uit daim ma aria its associated eminente, me

trahir 6 1, one gdveiiioi se, the pai-vis sin, iz: and

the op'eratiri:` ele'm'ents tnerefo'r are substai tially, identical. Thus the same reier'ene nu; `roei/als' employed in Figui-es 1 to' 6 inclusive Will beapp'lied to similar p'a'rts in Figure 7;

'The shaft 2|a is supported slidably by 'roller secured to the hoor li. One end of said levei is connected to the upper 'endof the shaft 2 a While the other end carries an adjustable counterbal# 'ance M3. are located above the upper iioor 33;

` The 'cable 88 which is Wound 'on the drum 8| rand supports', the Weight 39 oi the governor 't has one end 9|) secured to an eye `|45 carried by the `arm '35a which is secured ina horizontal postion to the shaft 2m and is raised or lowered by 'A brace bar M6 is; applied between tiranni-ier 'endoi the `'shaft 'and the arm 35a.

The 'cable `|23 is trained over an eye |58 vcarried by an arm |5| rising :from an `axle |52 which :is secured to the door to. The drum H34 is rotatably mounted by means of the collar |06 on the axle'. `'I 'l're cable |23 is connected to the pivoted handlever|25 for actuation by the operator. s

`A link |55 has a universal connection at |56 with a stud |51 attached to a brace bar |58 between the shaft 21a and the bracket `|38.v Said linl; also has a universal connection at |59 with P Pin |Sl secured tothe `lever Ia which is Arov- The universal if.

shaft are identical vin Construction and. a de# 1 seription oi" one Will suiice for the other.

The reduced 'ends OrthefShat-are mounted rotatably in sleeves I5! which Aare square in cross-section and which have a cylindrical passage to receive said ends. lower iioorrl and top oor |36. These plates are provided with mountings for the roller bearings |35 arid |37. The bearings for the square sleeve relieve drag during the vertical travel "of the shaft 2 la.

kIt will be noted :fromFigures 1 and Zthat the roller 66 is Wider than the 4roller |39` in 7. When the ba1`25. (Figure 1') is 'raised it is 'drawn towardstbe shaft 2| by the `para]leloe-raiii ar? rangement `so that the roller 5E must be wide The 1lever |49 and .the governor 8U Plates :|62 are each `bolted to the lief iss is raised and itil" the p uii 'of fthevieigiit (Figure '1i on tri "cable as, mie brake 2 3 vviiieii ic'iintroi 'the speed of rotation lof 'trie driifii will rii'd to prevent rotatiefn of the 'd'riiiii iid shaft at 'this time.

when the the operator has 'eompieted the iiioiding f the biok-, he tviii Spun trie a'riei 4u `ii ositi'on B to position A so' that 'the reet 5| of 'the @affilier will ie friiacejd in aiineeiit with 'tire jbttgrii eig-ees of the raised block i4. 'rh 1e e2 (Figure i) itin be depressed caiismfg tige "siie ba 146; ve and 4t tojbe moved to trie b ieig so that 'mi ii memmte'r is@ "is lowered broek "will be lsiiiiiorte'd by feet e-draitn towardssiiion A. tlif bleek been deposited on the a es @as aerei it faire f builiiiefstbpiied ai page tiene; The earijei 'is retained in such posil 5 tion lnfi 'th Has 'cdxlbled 'the "incidabel-,aes

7 ing of afsucceeding--green concrete-block -jin the molding machine II. -j

The steps set forth, above, are then repeated until the board 98 has been supplied fully with molded blocks. The board is removed from the carriage by a conventional conveyor or by transfer chains and delivered to a curing chamber. When the loaded board has been removed, the operator moves the lever |25 to a vertical position for releasing the pawl |20 or |2| thereby allowing the cable .to rotate reversely the drum |04 when the carriage is returned to the starting position. The brake 23 restrains a rapid rotation of the drum and maintains the cables |00 taut at all times.

' The shield I I0 is adjustable by means of the bolts I I3 so that the shield may be positioned properly. |The shield is so positioned that the selected pawl may ride over the same through a predetermined angle before dropping into engagement with a slot of the aligned ratchet. This shield prevents the pawls from engaging more than one slot of a ratchet during the 90 angular movement of the arm 35 and carrie 40 from position C to position A.

While the weight 89 tends to resist movement of the arm from position A to C, nevertheless` the added weight of the block I4 will more than counterbalance the weight 89. When the load on the arm 35 and carrier has been released to the board 98, the weight 89' will take control of the arm and empty carrier and return said carrier to position B as previously described.

The governor by means of the adjustable blades 81 will control the speed of the carrier 40 particularly between positions B and C when said carrier is descending along the inclined portion B8 of the track 61, -The speed at which the governor is set remains the same throughout the cycle of operation .and the over-run of the governor is sufficient to insure the release of the block I4 on the pallet board.

The operation of the machine illustrated in Figure 7 is substantially the same as machine shown in Figures 1 and 2 with some exceptions. In the modified form the shaft 2Ia is reciprocated vertically thereby eliminating the parallelogram, rods 9|, 92 and the lever 'I0 and bar 26 arrangement. However, the weight |43 and lever |40 counterbalance the weight of the shaft 2Ia. The weight 'II (Figure l) also counterbalances the weight of vthe parallelogram.

The drum |04 in Figure 7 is mounted loosely on the axle |52 instead of on the main shaft 2Ia as shown in Figures 1 and 2. In view of this difference, the drum is advancedv by increments through the medium of the link |55 which is connected between the radially disposed rod |58 and the free end of the lever I28a. Said rod forms a brace between the bracket |38 and the shaft 2Ia. When the rod |58 is rocked by the shaft 2 Ia from position B to position A (Figure 2) and when one of the pawls such as I2I has been depressed, said pawl will engage a slot on the ratchet formed in the drum |04 and be moved through an angle of substantially 45 by the oscillating lever I28a and by the link I 55 thereby rotating the drum through the same angle and winding the cable thereon. Thepawl allows the lever |25 to move automatically from the vertical to the horizontal 4position so that the carrier 40 may be shifted vto the pallet board.

The shaft Zia, the arm 35a .and the carrier stl-are raised and lowered by the portion 58 of the track 61 and the roller |39. The 'operation is substantially the same as the raising and-loweringof the carrier 40 shown in Figures 1 and 2 although in the modified form the elements are directly atachedto the shaft which is reciprocated vertically. A 1

The governor is mounted on the floor |36 above with the ends of the cable 88 passing downwardly through openings in said floor. One end of the cable carries the Weight while the other end is connected directly to the carrier arm 35a. The governor controls the speed of travel of the shaft 2 Ia. I

It will be noted that no motive power is required for operating the machine and only a few manual operations are required. Otherwise the machine is automatically actuated by weights, a cooperating track and pawls.

`The circumference of the drum |04 is fortyeight inches which is a common multiple of any block width. Thus, when the slots I|6 are employed in connection with the pawl I 2 I, the drum will be rotated through eight steps during one revolution. On the other hand the slots III will provide for a step-by-step rotation of the drum through six cycles of operation of the blockhandling machine.

What I claim:

1. An apparatus for delivering concrete blocks from a block molding machine to a pallet board comprising a frame, a vertically disposed shaft rotatably mounted on said frame, a horizontally disposed arm extending radially of said shaft and having one end spaced therefrom, linkage means interposed between said one endrof said arm and said shaft and operatively connected therebetween for mounting said arm for vertical oscillation, a block carrier connected to the other end of said arm, a curved track including a hori- Zontal portion and an inclined portion supported below said arm, roller means carried by said linkage means and successively engaging said horizontal and inclined portions respectively for guiding said arm from a block receiving position over said block molding machine to a block discharging position over said pallet board, a track guided carriage adapted to receive said pallet board, a rotatably supported drum provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots, a cable connected between said drum and said carriage for imparting a step by step movement to the latter in response to the rotary movement of said drum through predetermined angles, a rocking lever carried by said shaft, a pawl carried by said lever and engaging one of said slots upon movement of said arm to a point midway between said pallet board and said imolding machine whereby manual shifting of said arm from said midpoint to said block receiving position causes said cable to be wound onto said drum, manually actuable means operatively connected to said pawl for selectively releasing the latter, and means operatively connected to said arm tending to return the latter to said block receiving position. A

2. An apparatus for delivering concrete blocks fromV a block molding machine to a pallet board comprising a frame, a vertically disposed shaft rotatably mounted on said frame, a horizontally disposed arm extending radially of said shaft and having one end spaced therefrom, linkage means interposed between said one end of said arm and said shaft and operatively connected therebetween for mounting said arm for vertical oscillation, a block carrier connected to the other end of said arm, a curved track including horizontal portions and an inclined portion supported below said arm, roller means carried by said linkage means and successively engaging said horizontal and inclined portions respectively for guiding said arm from a block receiving position over said block molding machine to a block discharging position over said pallet board, a track guided carriage adapted to receive said pallet board, a rotatably supported drum provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots, a cable connected between said drum and said carriage for imparting a step by step movement to the latter in response to the rotary movement of said drum through predetermined angles, a rocking lever carried by said shaft, a pawl carried by said lever and engaging one of said slots upon movement of said arm to a point midway between said pallet board and said molding machine whereby manual shifting of said arm from said midpoint to said block receiving position causes said cable to be wound onto said drum, manually actuable means operatively connected to said pawl for selectively releasing the latter, means operatively connected to said arm tending to return the latter to said block receiving position, and a shield extending over part of said drum for preventing said pawl from engaging slots other than the one positioned midway between said board and said molding machine.

3. An apparatus for delivering concrete blocks from a block molding machine to a pallet board comprising a frame, a vertically disposed shaft rotatably mounted on said frame, a horizontally disposed arm extending radially of said shaft and having one end spaced therefrom, linkage means interposed between said one end of said arm and said shaft and operatively connected therebetween for mounting said arm for vertical oscillation, a block carrier connected to the other end of said arm, a curved track including a horizontal portion and an inclined portion supported below said arm, roller means carried by said linkage means and successively engaging said horizontal and inclined port-ions respectively for guiding said arm from a block receiving position over said block molding machine to a block discharging position over said pallet board, a track guided carriage adapted to receive said pallet board, a rotatably supported drum provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots, a cable connected between said drum and said carriage for imparting a step by step movement to the latter in response to the rotary movement of said drum through predetermined angles, a rocking lever carried by said shaft, a pawl carried by said lever and engaging one of said slots-upon` movement of said arm to a point midway beltween said pallet board and said molding machine whereby manual shifting of said arm from said midpoint to said block receiving position causes said cable to be wound onto said drum,

manually actuable means operatively connected to said pawl for selectively releasing the latter, and means operatively connected to said arm tending to return the latter to said block receiving position and for controlling the speed of movement of said arm between said block receiving and block discharging positions.

4. An apparatus for delivering concrete blocks from a block molding machine to a pallet board comprising a frame, a vertically disposed shaft rotatably mounted on said frame, a horizontally disposed arm extending radially of said shaft and having one end spaced therefrom, linkage means interposed between said one end of said arm and said shaft and `operatively connected therebetween for mounting said arm for vertical oscillation, a block carrier connected to the other f end of said arm, a curved track including a horizontal portion and an inclined portion supported below said arm, roller means carried by said linkage means and successively engaging said horizontal and inclined portions respectively for guiding said arm from a block receiving position over said block molding machine to a block discharging position over said pallet board, a track guided carriage adapted to receive said pallet board, a rotatably supported drum provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots, a cable connected between said drum and said carriage for imparting a step by step movement to the latter in response to the rotary movement of said drum through predetermined angles, a rocking lever carried by said shaft, a pawl carried by said lever and engaging one of said slots upon movement of said arm to a point midway between said pallet board and said molding machine whereby manual shifting of said arm from said midpoint to said block receiving position causes said cable to be wound onto said drum, manually actuable means operatively connected to said pawl for selectively releasing the latter, means operatively connected to said arm tending to return the latter to said block receiving position and for controlling,r the speed of movement of said arm between said block receiving and block discharging positions, and a shield extending over part of said drum ifor preventing said pawl from engaging slots other than the one positioned midway between said board and said molding machine.

CECIL C'. WOOLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

